BUREAU OF 
EDUCATIONAL MEASUREMENTS . 
AND STANDARDS 



KANSAS STATE NORMAL SCHOOL 

EMPORIA 



ANNOUNCEMENTS AND 
PRICE LIST 



September, 1917 



KANSAS SIATE PRINTING PLANT. 

W. R. Smith, State Printer. 

TOPEKA. 1917. 

7-449 



PLANS FOR 1917-'18. 



1. During the year 1917-'18 the Bureau of Educational Measurements 
and Standards will continue, as heretofore, to supply teachers and super- 
intendents tests and scales. P'or all these, complete directions and tabu- 
lation sheets will be supplied. In case we fail to supply a sufficient num- 
ber of record sheets we are always glad to send additional ones on re- 
quest. If any difficulty is experienced in administering the tests we are 
always glad to answer questions. 

2. We shall continue the standardization of the tests which are dis- 
tributed from the office of the Bureau of Educational Measurements and 
Standards. In order that this may be done effectively it is necessary 
that all who profit by our services report their scores promptly. If a 
sufficient number of class record sheets have not been furnished with the 
tests so that duplicates may be retained by the teacher, we will be glad 
to supply additional ones upon request. 

3. A series of standardized tests in arithmetic, reading and spelling 
are being published and will be available for use during this year. In 
addition we are publishing a composition scale which gives promise of 
being worth while. 

4. During the year 1917-'18 we shall make a special study of the 
difficulties which pupils experience in learning. Some work has already 
been done in spelling, and we expect to extend it during this year to at 
least arithmetic and reading. Before it will be possible for us to assist 
most effectively those pupils who have low scores, it will be necessary that 
we know more about the difficulties which children experience in learning. 
Special directions and blanks for carrying on this work have been devised. 
All who are interested in this topic are cordially invited to cooperate with 
the Bureau. 

At this time it is important that the resources of the American na- 
tion be conserved and that all activities be carried on with the highest de- 
gree of efficiency. It is, therefore, particularly important that our pub- 
lic schools make use of all those devices and plans of procedure which are 
known to increase efficiency of school work. For this reason we feel that 
it is very appropriate that we urge upon the superintendents and teachers 
>of Kansas the use of standardized tests and scales. 



D. Of jD. 
OCT 2 '1917 






"^ C' 






THE VALUE OF STANDARDIZED TESTS. 



During the past few years we have been busy devising educational 
tests and ascertaining whether or not they really measured what their 
sponsors claimed that they measured. The tests were new in the field 
of education and they were also objective. For these two reasons at 
least the tests have been attractive. No little emphasis has been placed 
upon exhorting teachers to use them without telling them exactly how 
they were to be used. When the use of tests has been advocated it has 
usually been because they furnished the superintendent a means for 
comparing his school system with other school systems, or for ascer- 
taining whether his school system was organized so that his pupils ad- 
vanced according to some definite plan. 

Some have treated educational tests as playthings. They have been 
interested in them only as a topic for a teachers' association or as a 
means of arousing interest in their community. A case which is typical 
of a large number came to the attention of the writer not long ago. A 
certain teacher expressed unusual interest in a certain test. She con- 
sulted with the writer and secured material from his office. Incidentally 
she confided that she was to read a paper on this topic at a teachers' 
meeting. After the meeting she reported that the audience appeared to 
be very much interested in her report, and she expressed the opinion 
that a considerable number would probably make use of the tests in 
their teaching. The writer expressed his appreciation of her voluntary 
missionary work and remarked that he would be very much interested 
in her own experience in using the test, since he knew that she was 
teaching the subject in which the test was used. In a very much sur- 
prised tone of voice the teacher replied emphatically that she did not 
have time for such things. It was very obvious that she thought of this 
test, and presumably of other tests, merely as a plaything which she 
might use to instruct or amuse an audience made up of teachers. 

An attitude which is not fundamentally different is represented by 
the superintendent or teacher who writes, after having used the tests, 
that he was pleased with them, and then goes on to explain that his 
school is above standard, thereby showing that the reason for his satis- 
faction is due to the standing which his school made. Occasionally a 
superintendent writes that the results of using the tests were unsatis- 
factory and that they do not correctly measure the abilities of his pupils. 

Standarized tests are not playthings, neither are they teaching de- 
vices. If standardized tests cannot be used to make the instruction of 
the school more effective, the expenditure of money, time, and energy in 
using them cannot be justified. It is therefore important that teachers 
and superintendents should carefully consider how they can use stand- 
ardized tests as an instrument in making their instructional efforts more 
effective. The value of standardized tests will be considered here under 

(3) 



4 Kansas State Normal School. 

three heads — first, the superintendent; second, the teacher; and third, 
the pupil. 

1. To THE Superintendent. In a school system there are many 
workers who contribute to the process of educating the child. The super- 
intendent is responsible for planning the work of the school system so 
that the several workers shall work together in the most effective way 
for the common end. In doing this each worker must make his contribu- 
tion at the time when it is most needed. It is also necessary that no 
phase of the child's education be neglected in order to place emphasis 
upon another. 

When standardized tests have been applied to a school system it has 
generally been found that there was a lack of organization within the 
system. Sometimes because a teacher in a particular grade is interested 
in a certain subject, it has been found that the pupils under her instruc- 
tion are two or three grades ahead in this subject and behind in others. 
In handwriting it has been found that some teachers emphasize speed 
and have their pupils write very rapidly, while the teachers in the follow- 
ing grades train the pupils to write more slowly than they did the year 
before. 

Standardized tests furnish the superintendent with a means for or- 
ganizing his school system upon a definite basis. The standards for the 
several tests may be taken as ends to be obtained in the respective 
grades. Standardized tests also furnish the superintendent a means of 
checking up his system from time to time in order to ascertain if the 
plans are being followed. 

Standardized tests also make it possible for the superintendent to give 
the teachers under his supervision definite instructions concerning the 
results to be obtained. These instructions constitute the teacher's im- 
mediate working aim. 

2. To THE Teacher. A general aim of education, such as "social 
efficiency," is insufficient foj' a teacher in the details of her classroom 
work. No general aim of education will tell her at what rate her pupils 
should read or at what speed the pupil should write, or how rapidly they 
should add columns of figures, or what per cent of their answers should 
be correct. Furthermore, it has been shown that the outcome of teaching 
a school subject, such as handwriting, reading, or algebra, is not a single 
ability but many specific abilities, each of which probably is complex. 
Thus the teacher is charged not simply with the responsibility of teach- 
ing reading, writing, arithmetic, etc., but she must engender in her 
pupils a number of abilities in each of these fields of subject matter. It 
is impossible for a general aim of education to specify these details. 

The service which standardized tests and scales can render to the 
teacher in making her aim more detailed and definite is well illustrated 
in handwriting. It soon became evident that "quality" of handwriting is 
not a simple characteristic but is instead a complex one. The individual 
letters may be well formed, but they may be crowded too closely together 
or there may be a low degree of uniformity in the slant of the letters or 
in their height; or it may be the handwriting is low in quality because 
the strokes of the pen are not smooth and flowing. If a teacher's efforts 
to instruct pupils to write are most effective she must have definitely in 



Educational Measurements and Standards. 5 

mind a detailed aim which explicitly includes the essential factors in the 
quality of handwriting. The measurement of the ability of children to 
write has called attention to the speed of handwriting as being important, 
as well as "quality." This has revealed the fact that speed did not enter 
into the aim of many teachers. In fact, last year a handwriting super- 
visor of one of the larger second-class cities confessed to us that she 
had never included it in her concept of the aim to be realized, but now 
that her attention was called to the matter it was obvious that speed 
should be considered. 

In teaching reading the teacher's aim has generally been to teach the 
pupil to read orally. It has not occurred to many teachers that pupils 
should be taught to read silently. If silent reading tests have done noth- 
ing more than to call attention to the fact that silent reading must be 
included in the teacher's aim, they have been worth while. 

Standardized tests not only serve to furnish the teacher with a definite 
detailed working aim, but they also provide the teacher with a means for 
diagnosing the group of pupils which she instructs. For some time we 
have recognized that individual differences exist, but it is not sufficient 
for the teacher to simply recognize this fact. The teacher must know 
in just what details her pupils are different. The pupil who is already 
up to standard does not need instruction. It is the pupil who is below 
standard that needs instruction. If the teacher instructs the pupil who 
does not need it, time is wasted. If the teacher fails to instruct the pupil 
who does need it, the foundation is being laid for unsatisfactory work 
later in the pupil's course and probably for a shortcoming in his educa- 
tion. By using tests which have been standardized, the teacher can as- 
certain the exact standing of each pupil. She then is in a much better 
position to apply her instructional efforts where they will be most effective. 

Standardized tests are not a teaching device. They simply tell the 
teacher what conditions exist. Sometimes it will be necessary for the 
teacher to carry the diagnosis somewhat further to ascertain the exact 
nature and cause of the shortcoming. In any case it will be necessary 
for the teacher to prescribe remedial instruction f-or the pupil who is 
below standard. 

Probably the most important assistance to be obtained from the use 
of standardized tests is the development of a scientific attitude toward 
the problem of teaching. The teacher who uses standardized tests in- 
telligently will find that her mode of thinking concerning the problem of 
teaching has been changed. She will realize that she is instructing pupils 
who differ widely in attainment. She will realize that the standards are 
to be attained, not exceeded. She will realize that a general aim is not 
sufficient and that a detailed aim is necessary. 

At the present time the derivation of tests in elementary algebra is 
furnishing a striking illustration of the indefiniteness of teachers' aims. 
It is assumed by those who are attempting to devise tests in this field 
that the tests should measure the abilities to do those types of examples 
which are fundamenal to elementary algebra. Since they are starting 
with this common assumption, we should expect little difference in the 
types of examples chosen as most fundamental. Exactly the opposite is 



6 Kansas State Normal School. 

true. Two of the first series of tests did not have a single type of ex- 
ample in common, although one series consisted of five separate tests 
and the other of six. Two series of twelve tests each were printed re- 
cently. Only five types of examples are common to the two series. 

In arithmetic the fundamental operations are addition, subtraction, 
multiplication and division, and every teacher knows that in order to 
have a foundation for the solving of problems these operations must be 
taught. Accordingly her instructional efforts are focused upon these 
operations. The same four operations are used in algebra, but it is 
very significant that only special cases of some of them occur in solving 
equations, and the equation is the tool by means of which the operations 
of algebra are applied to the solving of problems. For example, division 
occurs only in a very simple form as the final step in solving an equation. 
Factoring is scarcely ever used in solving an equation which has . re- 
sulted from a practical problem, and then it is not a necessary operation. 
From the standpoint of its frequency of occurrence it is about as im- 
portant as complex fractions in arithmetic; and yet in the minds of many 
teachers of algebra it is given a place of prime importance. 

The best of our standardized tests, such as the Courtis Research Tests 
in Arithmetic, the Freeman Handwriting Scale, and the Ayres Spelling 
Scale, are based upon very careful analyses of their respective fields of 
subject matter, and it is beginning to be recognized that a necessary pre- 
liminary step in constructing a test is the identification of the abilities 
which are fundamental to the purpose of education. Thus educational 
tests and scales give us a statement of specific abilities which are funda- 
mental to the education of children. If the teacher does not recognize 
these abilities her aim is certain to be vague and indefinite, and as a 
result she is likely to overlook some essential ability such as speed in 
handwriting or column addition in arithmetic. 

Standardized tests and scales not only indicate to the teacher the 
specific abilities which are essential to the pupil's education, but they 
also furnish definite objective standards for these abilities. Standardized 
scales in handwriting not only call the teacher's attention to speed, but 
they also specify the number of letters per minute which should be 
written by pupils in each grade. The Courtis Standard Research Tests in 
Arithmetic tell the teacher what speed and what degree of accuracy she 
should expect of her pupils. The tests in silent reading state in definite 
objective terms how rapidly and with what degree of comprehension 
pupils of each grade should read. "^ 

In the absence of detailed and definite aims, a teacher's efforts to in- 
struct children are necessarily random and often unwise. The use of a 
test throughout a school system or a building has frequently revealed 
f.Iiat in a certain subject the teacher of a particular grade has brought 
.'ler pupils to a point conspicuously above the pupils in the next higher 
grade. In a few instances it has been found by an unusual expenditure 
^jf time and much emphasis a teacher has raised her pupils above the 
recognized standards for the eighth grade. Probably this had been ac- 
complished by the neglect of other subjects. In any case it has been 
shown that when pupils are raised above the standard for their grade, 
the vacation loss is correspondingly greater. 



Educational Measurements and Standards. 7 

It is a cardinal principle in manufacturing that when the material 
is acted upon by a series of workers, detailed qualitative and quantitative 
specifications must be provided for each stage of the work. This principle 
applies with equal force to the school. In his school experience the pupil 
is passed along from teacher to teacher. If each of these workers is 
not provided with detailed specifications concerning what each is to con- 
tribute to the pupils' education we must expect the pupil's progress to 
be often erratic and irregular and the school to remain on a low level 
of efficiency. 

3. To THE Pupil. Standardized tests furnish to the child definite 
objective ends to be obtained. The tests also furnish the child with the 
means whereby he may ascertain his progress from time to time. For 
example, in the case of handwriting, children may frequently compare 
their handwriting with the scale and know their standing. Many su- 
perintendents have taken occasion to tell the writer that their pupils 
enjoyed standardized tests. This fact probably indicates that the tests 
are helpful to pupils. 

The value of giving the pupil a definite objective standard in terms 
which he understands is probably more important than has been realized. 
Our schools have been criticized because they fail to develop initiative 
in the pupil. Whether this criticism is just or not, it does not seem 
reasonable that the most favorable conditions for developing initiative 
exists when the pupil is given only an indefinite, intangible aim and the 
teacher at each step tells him what to do. In the assignment each day 
the pupil is directed to do certian things — to do such and such ex:amples 
in arithmetic, to take so many words in spelling, to read so many pages 
in history and the like. The pupil is told to do these things, and the 
doing is naturally his aim. His attention is not upon what he is to learn 
as a result of the doing. 

The standards for tests constitute a definite objective aim which is 
expressed in terms that the pupil can understand. With the pupil's at- 
tention focused upon this aim, he will cooperate with the teacher in at- 
taining this aim. Furthermore it will be possible for the pupil himself 
to find out when he has realized his aim. 

THE USE OF STANDARDIZED TESTS IN RURAL SCHOOLS. 

Standardized tests may be used in rural and ungraded schools. It is 
not necessary in the case of most of the tests that the pupils be divided 
according to grade in order to give them. By providing each pupil with 
the proper tests, all the pupils in a rural school may take the test at the 
same time regardless of the grade to which they belong. 

Because the teacher in the rural school is more isolated than the 
teacher in a city school system, there is all the greater need for the 
definite objective which standardized tests furnish. The tests furnish a 
means for determining whether rural schools are, as is often stated, 
superior to city schools. 

HOW TO CHOOSE A TEST. 

The following four standards are commonly used to guide one in se- 
lecting appropriate tests: 



8 Kansas State Normal School. 

1. The test 'rnust be objective; that is, the tests must be of such a 
nature that when the test papers are marked there will be a minimum of 
opportunity for the teacher's opinion to determine whether the answer 
is right or wrong. Most tests in arithmetic -are objective. Teachers 
recognize that answers are either right or wrong and that their opinions 
are not to be considered. Unless tests are objective the papers will not 
be rated alike by all teachers, and this will make the results useless for 
purposes of comparison. In some subjects, such as handwriting and 
language, we probably should not expect a perfect objectivity but other 
things being equal, the test or scale should be selected which is most ob- 
jective. 

2. The exercises which make up the test must be equal in difficulty, 
or else their relative difficulty must be stated in terms of a common unit. 
A very large error is made by assuming that the exercises of a test are 
equal in difficulty when they are not. 

3. The test must be known to measure the ability which it is claimed 
to measure. Unless an arithmetic test really measures the ability of 
children in arithmetic it should not be used. The determination of 
whether or not a test does measure the ability which it is said to measure 
requires more careful research than most superintendents and teachers 
are in a position to undertake. It will, therefore, be necessary for teach- 
ers and superintendents to accept the statements of those who have care- 
fully investigated the merits of the several tests and scales. 

4. The test must be brief and easy to use. If this condition is not 
fulfilled, experience has shown that only the most enthusiastic teachers 
and superintendents will use the test. Furthermore, it is necessary that 
the test be accompanied by complete directions for using it and tabulating 
the scores. 

WHEN THE TESTS SHOULD BE GIVEN. 

In determining when standardized tests should be given, it is necessary 
to recall the purpose of using such tests. This purpose will be most com- 
pletely realized if the tests are given at the beginning of the school year. 
It is probably not wise to give them the first day of school, but they 
should be given within the first week or two in order that all parties 
concerned — pupil, teacher and superintendent — may know exactly the 
situation which exists. The tests should be given a second time at the 
close of the school year in order that these same parties may know in 
what respects the aims for the year's work have been realized. In case 
promotion is made at midyear it will probably be helpful to give the tests 
at that time, although it is not necessary. Some of the tests and scales, 
such as the handwriting scales, may be used at more frequent intervals. 

Incidentally, giving the test at the beginning of the school year fur- 
nishes a check upon the work of the year before. If the aims have been 
attained by unwise teaching and drill just preceding the giving of the 
tests, this fact will be made clear when the tests are given the following 
September. Any ability which is only temporary will of course tend to 
be lost during the summer vacation. 



Educational Measurements and Standards. 9 

STANDARDIZED TESTS FOR USE IN THE ELEMEN- 
TARY SCHOOL. 

A description of only the most important tests is given in this list. 
The Bureau of Educational Measurements and Standards tries to keep 
on file copies of all tests which have been devised, and it is very glad to 
supply information concerning any tests upon request. 

The Bureau of Educational Measurements and Standards is not pre- 
pared to supply all of the tests here listed. Information, however, is 
given concerning where each test may be obtained. In case there is suffi- 
cient demand from the superintendents and teachers of the state, the 
Bureau of Educational Measurements and Standards will be glad to 
arrange to distribute additional tests. 

ARITHMETIC. 

Courtis' Standard Research Tests, Series B. This series of tests con- 
sists of one test on each of the four fundamental operations. The tests 
measure the speed and accuracy with which the pupil can perform these 
operations with one type of example. The total working time of the 
class is twenty-six minutes. The administration of the tests is very 
simple. They have been used extensively since their first publication in 
1914. The measures have been proved reliable in 75 to 90 per cent of 
the cases. They are used in grades IV to VIII, inclusive. Superintend- 
ents and teachers in Kansas may obtain these tests from the Bureau of 
Educational Measurements and Standards, Emporia, Kan. Price, in- 
cluding complete directions and record, sheets, 80 cents per hundred 
pupils. Persons not living in Kansas -should address S. A. Courtis, 82 
Eliot street, Detroit, Mich. References: Walter S. Monroe, Report on 
the Use of the Courtis Standard Research Tests in Arithmetic in Twenty- 
four Cities; Walter S. Monroe and J. C. DeVoss, Second and Third An- 
nual Report of the Bureau of Educational Measurements and Stand- 
ards, 1915-'16 and 1916-'17. Copies of these reports will be sent free 
upon request. 

Cleveland-Survey Tests. These were designed for use in the survey 
of the Cleveland public schools. They have been revised slightly and 
used in the surveys at Grand Rapids and St. Louis. The tests consist 
of a series of fifteen tests, including four tests on addition, two on sub- 
traction, three on multiplication, four on division, and two on addition 
and subtraction of common fractions. The total working time is twenty- 
two minutes. The administration of the tests is simple. Complete di- 
rections are provided for giving the tests, but none for tabulating the 
scores. These tests furnish a more detailed analysis than can be se- 
cured by means of the Courtis' Standard Research Tests, Series B. Cop- 
ies may be obtained from Charles H. Judd, School of Education, Uni- 
versity of Chicago, Chicago, 111. Price, $1 per hundred pupils. Refer- 
ence: Charles H. Judd, Measuring the Work of the Public Schools, 
Cleveland Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio. 

Arithmetic Scales, devised by Clifford Woody. This is a series of four 
tests, one for each of the fundamental operations. Each test includes 
examples with integers, common fractions, decimal fractions, and de- 



10 Kansas State Normal School. 

nominate numbers. The examples have been carefully graded and ar- 
ranged in order of difficulty. It is claimed that these tests are valuable 
for purposes of diagnosis. An analytical and experimental study of 
these tests indicates that they do not yield a satisfactory diagnosis. No 
directions for using the tests are furnished with the tests. Directions 
are, however, given in the bulletin which describes their derivation. Cop- 
ies may be obtained from the Bureau of Publications, Teachers College, 
Columbia University, New York City. Price, each scale, $3 per thous- 
and, 40 cents per hundred. Reference: Clifford Woody, Measurements 
of Some Achievements in Arithmetic. Obtained from above address. 

Standardized Tests in Arithmetic. A series of standardized tests cov- 
ering the four fundamental operations in integers, common fractions, 
and decimal fractions has been prepared by the Bureau of Educational 
Measurements and Standards. It is thought that this series of tests will 
furnish a reasonably complete diagnosis of the abilities of pupils to per- 
form the operations of arithmetic. Although the series consists of twen- 
ty-one tests, they have been so arranged that the total time required for 
giving them is 35% minutes. These tests vdll be standardized as soon 
as possible and offered for distribution. Copies may be obtained from 
the Bureau of Educational Measurements and Standards, Emporia, 
Kan. The price cannot be set until arrangements have been made for 
the printing. The price of the complete set will probably be $2 per 
hundred. The tests for integers will probably sell for $1 per hundred 
and the tests for each type of fractions for 50 cents per hundred. 

The problem of devising an instrument to measure ability to reason in 
arithmetic is vastly more difficult than to devise one to measure the ability 
to perform the operations. Only two reasoning tests are available. 
There is no evidence available to show how satisfactory these tests are as 
measuring instruments, but since they are not based upon an analysis of 
the problem field of arithmetic, it is probable that they are not very val- 
uable to the teacher. 

Stone's Reasoning Tests. This is a single test designed to be given to 
grades IV to VIII, inclusive. The problems have been carefully evalu- 
ated. The time allowed for the test is fifteen minutes. The test was 
used in the survey of the public schools of Butte, Mont., and Salt Lake 
City, Utah. For copies of the test address Bureau of Publications, Teach- 
ers College, Columbia University, New York City. References: C. W. 
Stone, Arithmetical Abilities and Some Factors Determining Them; also, 
C. W. Stone, Standardized Reasoning Tests in Arithmetic and How to 
Utilize Them. Obtained from above address. 

Starch's Arithmetical Scale A. This test consists of a graduated 
series of arithmetical problems. The pupils are to be allowed all the 
time they need. The pupil's ability is determined by how far down the 
list he can do the problems. Meager directions for using the test are 
furnished. The administration of the test is simple. Copies may be ob- 
tained from Daniel Starch, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wis. 
Price, 30 cents per hundred. Reference: A Scale for Measuring Ability 
in Arithmetic, Journal of Educational Psycliology, April, 1916. 



Educational Measurements and Standards. 11 

Standardized Tests in Arithmetical Reasoning. The Bureau of Educa- 
tional Measurements and Standards has in course of preparation a series 
of tests to measure the ability of pupils to reason out the problems of 
arithmetic. These tests will be based upon a very careful analysis of the 
problem field of arithmetic. It is expected that these tests will be avail- 
able by the latter part of the school year. 

ENGLISH COMPOSITION. 

Harvard-Newton Composition Scale. This scale has been distributed 
by the Bureau of Educational Measurements and Standards for the past 
two years, and several hundred copies have been placed in the hands of 
teachers both in the state of Kansas and in other states. However, prac- 
tically no reports of its use have been received. This fact indicates that 
the teachers have found the scale too difficult to use, and for that reason 
the Bureau of Educational Measurements and Standards is discontinuing 
the distribution of the scale. Copies of the scale may be secured from 
the Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Mass. 

Scale for Measuring Written Composition, devised by M. H. Willing. 
This scale was devised in connection with the survey of the public schools 
of Denver, Colo., and has been used in a number of school surveys. This 
scale diflfers in a number of respects from the Harvard-Newton Composi- 
tion Scale, and it is thought that it will prove more satisfactory. An ex- 
perimental edition of the scale has been printed by the Bureau of Edu- 
cational Measurements and Standards. As long as this edition lasts, 
copies will be sent free to teachers and superintendents in Kansas. A 
limited number of copies will be mailed .upon request to superintendents 
and teachers outside the state, with the understanding that they will 
report their experience in using the scale. 

HANDWRITING. 

Ayres' Measuring Scale for Handwriting. This scale is designed for 
measuring the handwriting of children, and consists of three series of 
samples of handwriting arranged in order of "legibility." Directions 
for using the scale and a class-record sheet have been devised by the 
Bureau of Educational Measurements and Standards. The scale has 
been used very extensively. Copies may be obtained from the Bureau of 
Educational Measurements and Standards, Emporia, Kan. Price, 5 
cents. Reference: L. P. Ayres, A Scale for Measuring the Quality of 
Handwriting of Children, Russell Sage Foundation, New York City. 

Ayres' Gettysburg Edition. This is a new scale devised by Dr. L. P. 
Ayres as the result of his experience in using the scale described above. 
This scale differs from the above scale in several respects. It has only 
one specimen for each step. The specimens are written on ruled paper 
and the copy is the same for all specimens. Directions for securing 
samples of pupils' handwriting, when writing the same copy, are printed 
on the scale. Standards for speed and quality are also printed on the 
scale. Ayres asserts that this scale will yield more . reliable measure- 
ments of handwriting than can be secured by the use of the other scale. 
Copies may be obtained from the Bureau of Educational Measurements 
and Standards, Emporia, Kan. Price, 5 cents. 



12 Kansas State Normal School. 

Freeman's Handwriting Scale: This scale consists of five series of 
samples of handwriting. Each series is arranged according to a single 
characteristic of handwriting. The five characteristics recognized are 
(1) uniformity of slant, (2) uniformity of alignment, (3) quality of line, 
(4) letter formation, and (5) spacing. The scale furnishes a diagnosis 
of the pupil's handwriting. Directions for using the scale and a record 
card have been devised by the Bureau of Educational Measurements and 
Standards, Emporia, Kan. Copies may be obtained from the above ad- 
dress. Price 25 cents. Reference: F. N. Freeman, The Teaching of 
Handwriting, Houghton Mifflin Company; also, An Analytical Scale for 
Handwriting, Elementary School Journal, January, 1915. 

SILENT READING. 

The Kansas Silent Reading Tests, devised by F. J. Kelly. These tests 
consist of graded lists of exercises which have been carefully evaluated. 
Each exercise consists of the directions for doing something which is 
very simple after the pupil has fully understood the directions. His 
comprehension of the exercise is measured by what he does. The ad- 
ministration of the tests is very simple. The working time of the pupils 
is five minutes. The tests have been used extensively. For copies of the 
tests address Bureau of Educational Measurements and Standards, Em- 
poria, Kan. Test I is for grades III, IV, and V; Test II, for grades VI, 
VII, and VIII. Price, including directions and record sheets, 40 cents 
per hundred. Reference: The Kansas Silent Reading Test, by F. J. 
Kelly, Journal of Ediicational Psychology, February, 1916. 

Gray's Silent Reading Tests. These tests consist of a series of three 
selections, the first being for the pupils of the second and third grades, 
the second for pupils of the fourth, fifth and sixth grades, and the third 
for pupils of the seventh and eighth grades. The pupil is permitted to 
read the entire selection, his rate of reading being obtained by using a 
stop watch. His comprehension is measured by his ability to reproduce 
the story and to answer certain questions. The test can be given to only 
one pupil at a time, and the scoring of the pupils' reproductions requires 
considerable additional time, but the tests furnish a more detailed meas- 
ure of ability to read. They may be used to supplement the Kansas Silent 
Reading Tests. The tests were used in the survey of the Cleveland pub- 
lic schools. Copies of the tests may be obtained from William S. Gray, 
School of Education, University of Chicago, Chicago, 111. Price, $1.50 
per hundred. Complete directions are furnished with the tests. Refer- 
ence: Charles H. Judd, Measuring the Work of the Public Schools, 
Cleveland Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio. 

Thorndike's Scale Alpha for Measuring the Understanding' of Sen- 
tences. This silent reading test consists of a carefully graded series 
of paragraphs. Each paragraph is followed by several questions which 
the child is to answer as he reads the paragraph. The pupil's answers 
to the questions determine the measure of his comprehension. In the 
copy of the Teachers College Record which describes the derivation of 
this scale, there is given a score card for marking the answers to these 
questions. This makes these tests objective. Copies may be obtained 
irom the Bureau of Publications, Teachers CoUeg*^, Columbia University, 



Educational Measurements and Standards. 13 

New York City. Price $1.50 per hundred. Class record sheets, $1.25. 
Reference: E. L. Thorndike, An Improved Scale for Measuring Ability 
in Reading, Teachers College Record, November, 1915, and January, 1916. 
Standardized Tests in Silent Reading. This silent reading test is 
being devised by the Bureau of Educational Measurements and Stand- 
ards. In it those features of the Kansas Silent Reading Tests which 
have proven satisfactory have been incorporated. The most serious 
criticism of the Kansas Silent Reading Tests has been upon the nature 
of the exercises. The exercises for the Standardized Tests in Silent 
Reading have been secured from school readers and other books which 
children read. These tests will be available for distribution about De- 
cember 1. Test I will be for grades III, IV, and V; test II, for grades 
VI, VII, and VIII. Price including complete directions and record sheets 
will probably be 40 cents per hundred pupils. 

ORAL READING. 

Gray's Oral Reading Test. This test consists of a series of carefully 
standardized paragraphs arranged in the order of increasing difficulty. 
The pupil's ability to read orally is determined by noting his rate of 
reading and the number of errors. The administration of the test is 
complicated, and only one pupil can be tested at a time. The test was 
used in the survey of the Cleveland public schools. Copies may be ob- 
tained from William S. Gray, School of Education, University of Chi- 
cago, Chicago, 111. Price, including directions and record sheets, 50 
cents per hundred. Reference: Charles H. Judd, Measuring the Work 
of the Public Schools, Cleveland Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio. 

SPELLING. 

The Ayres Spelling Scale. This scale gives a list of the 1000 most 
common words and the standards for each grade. The scale itself is 
not a measuring device, but rather a list of words from which the teacher 
may choose words in constructing a test. Copies may be obtained from 
the Bureau of Educational Measurements and Standards. Price, 5 cents. 

A Tinted Sentence Spelling Test. A timed sentence spelling test has 
been devised by the Bureau of Educational Measurements and Standards. 
Investigation has shown that pupils misspell words in the written work 
of the school which they spell correctly when they are dictated in the 
spelling class. This is because in written expression the spelling of 
the words used must be done with a minimum of attention and at the 
pupil's normal rate of virriting. In this test the test words have been 
embedded in sentences which have been arranged so that pupils will 
write at their normal rate. The normal rate of writing was determined 
upon the basis of measurements of the handwriting speed of 6000 Kansas 
school children. These tests may be obtained from the Bureau of Educa- 
tional Measurements and Standards, Emporia, Kan. Until the first 
edition of this test is exhausted, copies will be sent free of charge to 
teachers and superintendents in Kansas who vidll cooperate by sending 
their scores to the Bureau of Educational Measurements and Standards. 

Thorndike' s Visual Vocabulary Scale Alpha. This test consists of a 
carefully graded series of words which the pupil is asked to define in 



14 Kansas State Normal School. 

general terms. It may be used in grades III to VIII, inclusive. The 
administration of the test is reasonably simple. Complete directions and 
a record sheet have been devised by the Bureau of Educational Meas- 
urements and Standards, Emporia, Kan. Copies of the scale may he 
obtained from the above address. Price, 50 cents per hundred. Refer- 
ence: E. L. Thorndike, The Measurement of Ability to Read, Teachers 
College Record, September, 1914. 

STANDARDIZED TESTS FOR USE IN THE HIGH SCHOOL. 

Tests are available for only a few high-school subjects, and in the 
case of those which are available there is not very much evidence to 
indicate the significance of the results obtained. Only a few are described 
here. 

Several of the tests designed for use in the elementary school have 
been used in the high school. When this is done it should be remembered 
that the tests are being used for a purpose for which they were not de- 
signed. 

Standard Research Tests in Algebra, devised by Walter S. Monroe. 
This consists of a series of six tests. The first five are based upon the 
operations which are required to solve a simple equation containing frac- 
tions, each test being devoted to a single operation. The sixth test is 
designed to measure the abilities of pupils to solve simple equations. 
These tests have been standardized on the basis of more than 2000 scores. 
Complete directions and record sheets accompany these tests. Copies 
may be secured from the Bureau of Educational Measurements and 
Standards, Emporia, Kan. Price, $1.25 per hundred for the complete 
series of six tests. 

Standardized Tests in First-year Algebra, devised by H. O. Rugg and 
J. R. Clark. This is an elaborate series of sixteen tests. Each test is 
limited to exercises of one type. Complete directions and tabulation 
sheets are furnished with the tests. Copies can be obtained from H. O. 
Rugg, School of Education, University of Chicago, Chicago, 111. 

Starclt's Tests for Foreign Languages. Prof. Daniel Starch has de- 
vised a vocabulary and reading tests for Latin, French and German. 
There is no published account of the significance of the results. Those 
interested may obtain copies from Daniel Starch, University of Wis- 
consin, Madison, Wis. 

Henmon's Latin Tests. Prof. V. A. C. Henmon has constructed a 
series of vocabulary and translation tests for Latin. Considerable care 
was exercised in devising these tests, and they give promise of being 
worth while. Copies may be obtained from V. A. C. Henmon, University 
of Wisconsin, Madison, Wis. 

Kansas Silent Reading Test, No. IIL This test is designed to measure 
the ability of high-school students to read silently. Copies may be ob- 
tained from the Bureau of Educational Measurements and Standards, 
Emporia, Kan. Price, including complete directions and record sheets, 
40 cents per hundred. 

Standardized Tests in Silent Reading, No. IIL This test will be avail- 
able for distribution about the first of December. It will measure the 



Educational Measurements and Standards. 15 

ability of high-school pupils to read silently. Copies may be obtained 
from the Bureau of Educational Measurements and Standards, Emporia, 
Kan. Price, including directions and record sheets, 40 cents per hundred. 



HOW TO ORDER TESTS. 

The Bureau endeavors to keep in stock a sufficient number of the 
tests and scales to supply promptly all ordinary demands. However, 
orders should be made at least two or three weeks before the tests are 
used. 

The prices quoted do not include postage or express charges. In the 
absence of directions express charges will not be prepaid. 

Because of the uncertain price of paper, the prices quoted are subject 
to change without notice. 

A discount of 10 per cent will be given on all orders which amount to 
$1 or more from cities within the state of Kansas. A discount of 10 per 
cent will be allowed upon all orders from outside the state of Kansas 
for Kansas Silent Reading Tests which amount to 6000 copies or more. 

Address all orders and communications to 

The Bureau of Educational Measurements and Standards, 

Kansas State Normal School, 

Emporia, Kan. 



PUBLICATIONS BY THE BUREAU OF EDUCATIONAL MEAS- 
UREMENTS AND STANDARDS. 

Bulletin No. 2. Study No. 1. Report of a survey of the public schools 
of Leavenworth, Kan. 

Bulletin No. 6. Study No. 2. The Cost of Instruction in Kansas High 
Schools, by Walter S. Monroe. 

Bulletin No. 7. Study No. 3. The Kansas Silent Reading Test, by F. 
J. Kelly. 

Bulletin No. 8. Study No. 4. A Report of the Use of the Courtis 
Standard Research Tests in Arithmetic in Twenty-four Cities, by Walter 
S. Monroe. 

Study No. 5. A Teacher's Handbook of Educational Measurements. 
This manual gives complete directions for the interpretation of scores 
and suggestions for remedial instructions in reading, writing, and arith- 
metic. (On press.) 

Study No. 6. Annual Report for 1915-1916. (On press.) 

Copies of these bulletins will be sent free to superintendents, teachers, 
and other interested persons upon application. Address 

Bureau of Educational Measurements and Standards, 

Kansas State Normal School, 
Emporia, Kan. 



rm. JAN. zt. laus 



